DeWitt County's top 10 taxpayers

Editor's note: This is the third in an ongoing series looking at the Crossroads region's top taxpayers.

A quick look at DeWitt County's top taxpayers makes one thing clear: The oil boom has a hold on the Texas Crossroads.

Geo Southern Energy Corp., a private business headquartered in The Woodlands, topped the list with its $288,197,270 in taxable value. Still, it was among friends.

The other nine entries all related to the industry.

Randall Malik, executive director of the Cuero Development Corp., said the growing industry has meant big changes countywide.

More than 1,000 new jobs have joined the mix since Eagle Ford Shale drilling began, he said, while the unemployment rate is down to 4.5 percent.

Although no one knew exactly how long the boom would continue, he said he took it as a positive sign that companies such as Pioneer Natural Resources, Geo Southern and BHP continued making investments in the region.

"It certainly signals it will be a long-term play," he said. "I think we'll continue to see a positive uptick in businesses."

Here is a closer look at the county's major taxpayers, and what they're bringing in.

*Eagle Hawk Field Services is listed twice on the list, and in both occasions, the valuation relates to the company's personal property, said Susie Dreyer, DeWitt County tax assessor-collector. The company is a subsidiary of BHP Billiton, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia